Ed Balls: ‘I didn’t come into politics to have a mansion tax’
Ed Balls and Samantha Simmonds. Picture: Polly Hancock. - Credit: Archant
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls told an audience at the JW3 community centre that he did not want to introduce a mansion tax but it would be necessary under a Labour government to save the NHS.
Mr Balls took part in a special Q&A for the community at the JW3, in Finchley Road, with Sky News presenter Samantha Simmonds last night.
After taking questions from the audience, Hampstead Garden Suburb resident Ms Simmonds raised the mansion tax.
She said: “I’m surprised this hasn’t come up, but will the policy cost Labour votes here?”
Mr Balls responded: “It’s not something I wanted to do, I didn’t come into politics to have a mansion tax.
You may also want to watch:
“But I think at a time when the NHS is under pressure, family budgets are under pressure and you’ve seen a very, very big rise in house prices particularly at the top over the last 20 years, I think it’s fair.”
Most Read
- 1 'Big elephant's backside': David Hare and Nicole Farhi slam house plans
- 2 Buyers launch legal action after £75k bill for flammable cladding
- 3 Armed police search Tube at Finchley Road and find 'imitation' gun
- 4 Teenage girls charged with Hampstead robberies
- 5 'He was mesmerising': Barney Hoskyns on Prince, five years on
- 6 Mary Feilding Guild: New Highgate owner claims 'widespread Legionella'
- 7 HIV 'progress is stalling' says Royal Free doctor who consulted on It's A Sin
- 8 Boy George and Bananarama join Kenwood 2021 concert line up
- 9 Arguments over Heath impact of homes in Jack Straw's Castle car park
- 10 When Prince's Sign o' the Times shop opened in Camden